


Bulletproof

by IsisKitsune



Series: Prompt Fics [23]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Mutant!Bruce, Prompt Fic, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-11
Updated: 2012-12-11
Packaged: 2017-11-20 21:58:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/590082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsisKitsune/pseuds/IsisKitsune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For just a moment, Bruce Banner really did die. But that was just what it took to unlock a highly suppressed mutant gene, granting Bruce invulnerability.</p>
<p>Meaning Bruce may seem far more fragile than his counterpart, but he's actually effectively as immortal as the Hulk. Once the head wound healed, Hulk was just even more perturbed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bulletproof

**Author's Note:**

> ****Skip down to the *** if you wish to bypass the potential trigger! I only added that as a 'prologue' to try to show what started the awakening of the power.
> 
> Written for a [Prompt](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/7940.html?thread=15210244#t15210244) but since I never even got the OP to respond I decided to post it here too.

Bruce sighed heavily. He expected his hands to shake, they didn’t. He expected the Other Guy to try to claw his way free when he picked up the gun, he didn’t. He never once expected to be so calm, collected, yet here he was… Staring down the barrel and still his hands never once shook as he pulled back the hammer. His mind only played over why he’d chosen this gun, not what it was going to be used for.

Bruce stared down at the barrel of the .50 caliber five cylinder pistol and sighed. Short barreled, less accurate but that wasn’t important for its purpose, nor was more than one shot needed. If he calculated right, add the caliber and the hollow tip ammunition and he’ll be lucky to have any skull left…

The Other Guy stirred momentarily when the gun was lifted up, Bruce’s heart beat rising minutely at the sudden fear the Other Guy would show up before he could pull the trigger. When he didn’t feel the beast stirring anymore he sighed calmly and went back to his task.

His hands still didn’t shake, even with the barrel in his mouth, his heart still steady… It was like his brain was already turned off.

Maybe this would work, maybe he would succeed. Take out the monster and the man that caused it, in one motion…

Bruce’s lip ticked up before he pulled the trigger.

 

Silence fell; then nature began returning to its normal sounds. Not a care in the world for the body now slumped in the brush. The body gave a jerk, sending random critters scattering at the misfired nerves from a damaged brain still attempting to control a non-functioning body. Soon that too became a constant and the animals stopped jumping.

When the twitching began to be less random, a few predators ventured closer. One sniff had them giving the body a wide birth. If there was anyone else out there, they may have noticed the gradual change. The body started, somehow, recovering… Grey matter was fleshing out as even the remaining bits of skull started knitting and spreading to re-cover the damaged portion. The moment the brain reformed, the body gasped, hands clenching as a green hue spread over it.

Hulk didn’t understand what had happened, but he burst back into existence roaring…

 

******JUMP TO BYPASS TRIGGER******

 

Bruce was standing beside Tony, more behind Fury than next to the philanthropist but it still kept enough distance between him and the ranting general to stop the Other Guy from roaring in his ears. He was still kicking himself for not running after the invasion, now he was making up for lost time with General Ross demanding his return, yet again.

“You still believe he’s human? Tell me something Fury, does this seem human to you?” Bruce blinked up at the demand to see Ross suddenly grab his sidearm. Bruce winced at the sudden stinging in his left temple, he stepped back from the suddenly stunned group to rub his bruising temple.

“Did you honestly just…”

Bruce shook off the stinging, assuming he’d just been pistol whipped from how close they’d all been standing, “I’m alright, everything’s under control.”

Tony’s jaw was hanging open as he grabbed Bruce’s chin to look over the fading bruise, “Did you just shoot him in the fucking head?!”

Bruce blinked, looked at Ross, then replayed the incident. Yeah, there had been a bang that could have been a gunshot instead of the slam of a pistol against bone, at least that close to his auditory nerve. “He… did, didn’t he?”

Tony was nodding while Fury was watching him. “You sure everything’s under control big guy?”

“Are my eyes green?” Tony shook his head, “Then, yeah, I’m sure.”

-

Bruce grumbled as Clint poked him with one of his deadly sharp arrow heads. “You’re just going to dull that you know.”

“That’s just weird,” Bruce rolled his eyes before grabbing the tip of the arrow the archer had been using to see what might hurt him and crushed the broad head before chucking it over his shoulder. Dummy gave a hum that indicated he’d hit the recycle bin. “Now, if you would stop trying to subject yourself to my radioactive blood by poking me with sharp things, I need to get back to work…”

Bruce turned back to his work, long since giving up on trying to prepare for an ‘attack’. All that did was leave him paranoid and kept his heart rate at an uncomfortable level rather than the quick, short, jump that complete surprise caused. The Other Guy only ever really grunted at those. He knew the different between ‘attack’, danger, and playing. Bruce wasn’t sure if it was just something left over from the primitive brain that pack (would that be what the Other Guy thought of it as?) tested each other… played, kept them on their toes. Harmless prods to show acceptance and in truth, Hulk enjoyed the normalcy of it as much as Bruce did.

It still didn’t stop him from jumping when the obviously feminine sound came from behind him. “Natasha, one of these days you’re going to ninja yourself into an incident.”

“Tony said you took a bullet to the head without blinking,” statement.

Bruce didn’t even turn to face her but his smile was obvious, “Wasn’t the first time.”

“He also said our green friend didn’t show up…”

“True, but I did actually blink, you know, for the record.” God he’d been around Tony too long…

“Doctor, may I shoot you?”

Bruce blinked and turned to look at her, that slightly cryptic ‘I think you’re an idiot’ look on his face. “You want to risk the Other Guy to prove I took a bullet to the head?”

“You just said the Other Guy didn’t show up the first time, and that was an enemy that he knew and hated. I figure he wouldn’t hold a grudge if I asked rather than just popped you in the back of the head.”

Bruce raised a brow but she was right, he could feel the Other Guy settle when he sighed and nodded.

-

Bruce just smirked at Tony trying to draw blood. “It won’t work,” Bruce winced as the needle snapped.

“Damnit! We need to draw blood, try to figure out why you can’t be hurt… I mean, what if this means Hulk is taking over permanently,” Bruce grabbed Tony by the back of his neck and kissed him to still his thoughts.

“The Other Guy isn’t trying to take over. Hell, he hasn’t even growled since Ross shot me. He… he understands, that I can’t be hurt. So, calm down, okay? He’s not trying to steal your lab partner.”

“So, you’re telling me two geniuses have no clue what’s going on but the enormous rage monster with an IQ of ‘smash’, no offence,” Bruce was chuckling, “knows what’s going on?!”

“Apparently.”

“Does Jolly Green care to share with the rest of the class?”

Bruce sighed, rolling his eyes before shutting them and concentrating. After a few minutes of frowning, Tony was starting to shift restlessly. “He says ‘where do you think Hulk came from’”

Tony sighed, of course the rage monster spoke in riddles… “I’m calling a friend, maybe some adamantium needles will get through that hide of yours.”

Bruce just smirked and shook his head. Guinea pig yet again. Oh well, at least this time he knew no one could hurt him. Not that they would want to…


End file.
